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BEIJING–It was almost halfway through China Southern Airlines Flight 6901 to Beijing Friday when the alarming aroma of what some believed was gasoline began to drift through the passenger cabin.

What happened next, however, is unclear.

Some say a young woman passenger around 18 or 19 years old was swiftly restrained in her seat by a female flight attendant and other staff.

Others say the passenger quietly reached the washroom undetected, then poured the liquid into the toilet where it was to be set alight later by an accomplice.

But Chinese officials were keeping a tight lid on the details of the alleged plot to down a domestic airliner here last week.

The Civil Aviation Administration would only confirm yesterday that after an emergency landing of the flight, "some passengers were in possession of suspicious liquids."

They would not say what the liquids were, how many people were detained, or release any other details.

But the alleged plot appeared to shake the security establishment here.

It's the third high-profile incident of its kind in as many months. The others included a clash with a reported terror cell in Xinjiang in which two alleged terrorists were killed; and a hostage-taking in the historic city of Xian in which an unidentified man was shot to death after hijacking Australian tourist agents.

Last night, unconfirmed reports began to emerge on the Internet, saying a young couple, including a woman who appeared to be "18 or 19," is at the centre of the investigation.

The flight had departed at 10:35 a.m. Friday from Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang – an autonomous region dominated by Muslim Uyghurs, some of whom dream of an independent state free from Chinese rule.

An Internet message board yesterday carried a series of emails reportedly sent wirelessly after the flight had been grounded, from a person who had been on the flight.

The authenticity of the emails could not be independently confirmed, but they contained information that appeared to have come from someone on board the plane.

The passenger said that upon landing in the Gansu capital of Lanzhou, four Uyghur passengers were swiftly taken aside for questioning.

"Policemen took four Uyghurs into the airport and put them through security checks all over again. They also took aside many other people to take down their statements."

The drama on board the flight had begun just as the journey approached its midway point.

"Halfway somebody was found carrying gasoline and acting weird," the passenger wrote, in postings carried on the message board.

"It (the container of gasoline) was opened on the plane and many people could smell it. The passenger then carried the gasoline, entered the bathroom and stayed inside for quite awhile."

However, another report attributed to the Southern Metropolis newspaper said a female flight attendant quickly spotted the young woman shortly after a container of the liquid had been opened.

Other members of the flight crew then reportedly helped the attendant restrain the woman while the plane descended safely into Zhongchuan airport in Lanzhou.

Once on the ground, the passenger who was sending the emails carped, "We've been waiting for six hours now and we have no idea when we might leave."

Later the e-mailer added: "Eight hours now. We just got some boxed food. The Department of Public Security and the state security bureaus in several provinces have been informed."

And later still: "Some of the four Uyghurs are from abroad – I suspect east-Turkish."

Uyghurs, who support independence for Xinjiang, often refer to the region as East Turkestan. One of the strongest proponents of an independent Uyghur state is the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), labelled a terrorist organization by the United Nations.

Reports of the incident set off a wave of Chinese nationalistic fury on the Internet, in which posters vented their rage and praised the police and the state's security apparatus.

More than 2,000 messages were posted on website Sina.com by the dinner hour.

Communist party leaders were quick to ascribe the alleged plot as one that was aimed at disrupting the Olympics.

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